The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1887-03-31
a CHECK.

Dawn over the broad Scheldt On
one side of the river, banks Of dark
clouds, Of which it was hard to tell yet
whether they had stolen the gloom
from the departed night, or were
threatening disaster to the coming day.
Quaint church-towers, windmills, and
independent. isolatcd-looking hay
stacks, gave touch of homeliness to
the great fatness of the shore, and nu-
merous barges and fishing boats, own
ing some spot in that strange land as
home, took off something from the
s'--:rdness Of the weltering expanse
of wide river. paced the deck. with
Shaw, as the eyes of day slowly open
ed. and the mystery and majesty Of
night were dissipated. The water was
smooth; there was scarcely breath Of
wind; but the air was keen and raw in
the autumn morning. The freshness
Of the meadows was strangely mingled
with the sadness Of the sea. 1t seemed
years since we had driven from Scot
land Yard to Liverpool Street-months
since we had overhanled the Harwich
and Dovercourt Hotels; the dark drive
to Hanover Lodge, the stealthy re-
connoitcring. and the explosion.
seemed as remote and as far from my
actual experience as any great
terrestrial CONFUSION in some prehistoric
epoch. There was an air Of unreality
about the swiftly-gliding steamer, the
silver-grey water. and the low land
which seemed to begin in the water and
end in mist.
We had had few hours sleep. and
were not jaded by the exertions Of
the past Neutrality-suspicious.; but the
strangeness and suddenness Of all that
had happened, the doubt and the fears
of the future, had depressing effect
upon my mind, and Shaw, although he
spoke calmly and bravely enough, was
anxious too.
AS the day broadcned. passengers,
with the pallid CRIME of an unwonted
night upon their countenances. began
to appear upon deck. The sight Of
ordinary fellow-creatures, a cup Of good
coffee, and the appearance of o few
tentative beams of early sunshine, went
far towards restoring cheerfulness and
something of confidence. The grea,
tower of Antwerp Cathedral was show
s,rr o1oo ~av n nj o1n,ror orJ thu ;ntoroat
excited by new scene was chasing
away my morbid impressions and
arousing q wholesome curiosity. be-
gan to fee! confident that we should
succeed in our quest. Shaw had held
the language Of reinsurance on this
point all along.
ut is certainty" he said. "Plowitz
is evidently valuable catch, and. with
the telegraph at work, there need be by
this time no place thai he could reach
which will not be well watched"
"But Mary?" said.
MARY" said Shaw convincingly,
.'will be perfectly safe. 1t is neither
to his interest nor to anyone's to harm
| her. Her evidence will not be particu.
larry valuable, as far as can gather,
and without her the police evidently
have all the information they want
No." he went on, ..Plowitz is sure X
be caught now, and when he is taken
Mary will be safe.'
In spite of these reassuring view.
my anxiety increased to feverist
pitch as the moment Of landing drew
near. In tho confusion attending
debarkation lost hold Of the comfor
I had derived from my companion
words. But after we had gone through
the formalities incident to landing OF
Belgian soil, we were accosted by ,
trim-looking gentleman with short
gray whiskers, long thin nose will
close nostrils. and a firm, straigh
mouth. He mentioned each Of ou
names, and identified US as we an
swered to them. He then informed u
that he was an agent Of the Englisl
police, and that he had received in
structions from Chief Inspector Rose
bush to afford US all possible assistance
in our search for Miss Fortescue: while
at the same time, he had been advised
that we might be Of some service IL
tracing Plowitz.
Mr.. Harper-such, we learned, wa
the name of Rosebush's auxiliary
very courteously invited US to his house
or rather to the house il
whish he had apartments. on Z